Crime & Safety

Naperville Robbers Could Be Tied to CiCi's Case

There's a "strong possibility" the two men arrested for a Naperville pizzeria robbery Monday may also have hit the local pizza restaurant last month, Sgt. Mike Fisher said.

The two men caught robbing a Naperville pizzeria Monday are potential suspects in the New Year's Eve armed robbery of in Plainfield, police said.

Cory M. Paytes, 22, of Montgomery, and Travis J. Gamble, 22, of Oswego, fit the description and seem to have used the same approach in the Naperville Papa John's robbery as was used in the , Sgt. Mike Fisher said.

In both robberies, suspects entered the business wearing ski masks, had an employee open the store's safe and then locked the employee in the cooler as they made their getaway.

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Plainfield investigators are expected to interview the two men this week, Fisher said.

"It's an open investigation and we're definitely looking into it," Fisher said. "Let's just say it's a very strong possibility (they could be involved the CiCi's robbery)."

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That robbery took place shortly after midnight on Dec. 31. Two men dressed almost completely in black, wearing ski masks and brandishing a gun entered the 11830 S. Route 59 store and forced the lone employee to lay on the floor while they emptied the safe. When they were through, they locked the employee in a freezer and fled, according to reports.

There have been similar robberies in St. Charles, Naperville, Yorkville and Lisle, police said. Several were Domino's Pizza businesses, which prompted the company to offer a $10,000 reward for information that led to an arrest.

Napervile police said they had been watching Paytes and Gamble as possible suspects and witnessed them commit the Monday night armed robbery of Papa John's Pizza at 1220 W. Ogden Ave. The pair were caught after a short foot chase by police, reports said.

The suspects were chaged with armed robbery, a Class X felony; aggravated robbery, a Class I felony; and resisting an officer, a Class A misdemeanor. Both are being held in DuPage County jail -- Paytes in lieu of $1 million bond and Gamble in lieu of $300,000 bond.

“Information had been developed that these individuals could be involved in (a string of) armed robberies,” Naperville Sgt. Gregg Bell told Naperville Patch Tuesday. “This is still an ongoing investigation. By no means is it over.”

That said, Fisher said police do not believe there is a link between the December CiCi's robbery and one that occurred at the same restaurant in .


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